Obama and Syria: Credibility dashed

September 09. 2013 4:39PMTonight, President Obama will try to convince the American people (whose opposition gives Congress pause) that the United States of America should attack Syria. His chances of success are “unbelievably small.”

That phrase was deployed by Secretary of State John Kerry on Monday to describe Obama’s contemplated strike on Syria. He thought those words would reassure the world (he spoke in London) that the planned military action would not amount to war. He claimed that the United States could launch a missile strike with two defining characteristics: It would be so effective that it would degrade Syria’s ability to use chemical weapons, but so small that it would not count as “war.” This is the logic of teenage boys on prom night.

On Monday, Kerry gave Assad a week to hand over all of his chemical weapons or face a military strike, thus drawing a second “red line” behind Obama’s. Incredibly, an administration unable to carry out its first threat has issued a second before getting the approval of Congress to carry out either. Obama is shooting from the hip — with blanks.

Supporters of a strike say it is necessary to preserve America’s credibility on the world stage. Obama already has dashed that credibility. It can be restored only by removing him from office, which, if he strikes Syria after Congress votes not to, should be done immediately.